This invention relates to expansion joint covers of the type generally employed in buildings to cover adjacent, spaced sections of an expansion joint. A typical expansion joint cover may include an elongate plastic strip and a thicker insulative strip secured to one surface of the plastic strip and extending along its length. The plastic strip is wider than the insulative strip to define flanges which extend longitudinally of the strip and outwardly to each side of the insulative strip. The flanges are employed to attach the device to the spaced building sections which define the expansion joint. In general, these strips are placed over the joint with the insulative material facing inwardly and the flanges are secured to the spaced building sections. Typically, the midportion of the cover, to which the insulative strip is secured, is arched outwardly so that the region between the flanges, including the insulative strip, is generally U-shaped.
It is desirable to fabricate the cover by an extrusion technique in which the plastic strip is extruded and the insulative material is then applied. The composite strip then is wound up on a roll which is a convenient form for storage and shipping.
In order to facilitate attachment of the longitudinal flanges to the spaced building portions which define the expansion joint, metal nailing strips often are secured to the flanges, the nailing strips being provided with a plurality of regularly spaced holes through which nails may be driven. The nailing strips, however, do present some difficulties, particularly in those instances where the flanges must be bent longitudinally to facilitate their attachment to a curb. Typically the bend in the flange is made longitudinally and along the nailing strip. The bending of the flange at this region requires relatively heavy bending equipment which is generally unsuitable for use at the construction site. Because of this, expansion joint covers which are intended to be used with curbs must be pre-bent at the factory. However, once the flanges have been bent, the cover cannot be wound into a convenient rolled-up package. Typically, the pre-bent cover is cut into short, straight sections (for example, ten foot lengths) and shipped in that configuration. In addition to the disadvantage of shipping and handling a plurality of straight sections, the use of the shorter pre-bent sections necessarily results in a large number of splices in the finally installed expansion joint cover because it must be made from a greater number of individual spliced short, straight sections. This, of course, increases the chances of a splice separating, because of the larger number of splices, and also results in a higher installation cost because of the increased labor required to place a plurality of separate, shorter lengths as distinguished from a single, much longer length of cover.
It is among the general objects of the invention to provide an improved expansion joint cover which avoids the above and other difficulties.